June 2, 2009

LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball received signed national letters of intent from five student-athletes who will enroll at UNLV next fall and be ready to play during the 2010 season for the Rebels, head coach Buddy Gouldsmith announced Tuesday.

"I am extremely excited about the five individuals we have added to our 2009 class," Gouldsmith said. "We have continued to strengthen our outfield and create competition in areas that will be vacated by the loss of some talented seniors."

The signees include three junior college and two high school athletes who will join a group of nine student-athletes who inked with UNLV last fall.

The junior college transfers are Travis Feiner, Hunter Beaty and Robbie DeLa Cruz, while the prep athletes are Brandon Bayardi and Jared Lee. Feiner is a local product who prepped at Cimarron-Memorial High School and went to Western Nevada College to start his collegiate career.

UNLV's RECRUIT BIOS

Brandon Bayardi (OF) ... One of the top outfielders for Brophy College Prep High School in Phoenix, Ariz. ... Hit .455 with six home runs, two doubles and 35 RBI while also scoring 28 runs as a senior ... A 2008 Desert All-Region selection ... Named to the Division 5A All-State Second Team as well ... Was a Second Team All-State and an All-Desert Valley pick by the East Valley Tribune ... Rated the top non-pitching prospect in Arizona and the No. 8 overall prospect in the state by Arizona Varsity ... Invited to play in the 2008 Horizon Cleats Baseball Invitational Tournament and was a member of the 2008 Cincinnati Reds area code team .... Also competed in football and was an honorable mention Desert Region selection in 2007 and was named one of the top 50 football players in Arizona by the Arizona Republic ... A solid student in the classroom as well, he is a member of the National Honor Society and was selected as a Distinguished Student this past spring.

GOULDSMITH ON BAYARDI:

"Brandon is an outstanding two-sport start out of Brophy Prep and he is a physical player who reminds me a lot of Eric Nielsen, a former UNLV right fielder. We knew he had really arrived following a standout performance at last year's Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif."

Hunter Beaty (INF) ... A transfer from Bellevue (WA) College who prepped at Mercer (WA) Island High School and also played at Oregon State ... Hit .311 with six doubles and two triples as a sophomore ... Helped his team win the 2009 NWAACC Junior College World Series, where he was named to the NWAACC All-Tournament team ... Hit .290 (27-93) with a triple, four doubles and 19 RBI as a freshman ... A speedy infielder who stole 10 bases last season ... A second team All-North Region selection ... Was selected to play in the 2008 NWAACC Sophomore Showcase.

GOULDSMITH ON BEATY:

"Hunter Beaty received great interest from me coming out of high school, but he chose to walk-on to Oregon State before eventually going to Bellevue College, the same program that produced current Rebel Jesse Wight. Coach Yoshino does an excellent job at Bellevue and we look forward to Hunter joining our infield."

Travis Feiner (INF) ... A local product who prepped at Cimarron-Memorial High School and then went to Western Nevada College in Carson City ... Hit .346 with eight home runs, 20 doubles, 55 RBI to go with 47 runs scored at WNC ... Named to the 2009 Region 18 first team and was named the region's MVP ... Team finished third at the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series and he was named to the All-Tournament team ... Earned second team All-Region 18 honors as a freshman in 2008, when he was selected to play in the Scenic West Sophomore Showcase.

GOULDSMITH ON FEINER:

"It is always exciting for me to be able to welcome kids from Las Vegas to our program, whether it is via high school or junior college. Travis has developed well at Western Nevada under Head Coach DJ Whittemore and Travis will add much-needed depth in our infield.

Jared Lee (OF/RHP) - A two-year letterwinner for Clovis (CA) West High School under head coach Kevin Patrick ... Has a .371 average with two home runs, 18 RBI and 18 runs scored ... Helped Clovis win the 2009 Fresno Easter Classic and finish second at in the C.I.F. Central California Championship ... Also has some speed, as he has eight doubles and four stolen bases ... A team captain ... A very good student, he has a 4.1 GPA and has been on the academic high honor roll at CWHS the past four years.

GOULDSMITH ON LEE:

"Jared is a talented two-way player from a rich baseball area in Central California. He hails from an outstanding high school program in Clovis, and he is also an excellent student."

Robbie DeLa Cruz (1B) ... Played two seasons at Fresno City College and prepped at Central High School in Fresno, Calif. ... Hit .343 (50-172) with three home runs, 10 doubles while scoring 50 runs this past season ... Was named to the All-Central Valley first team ... Also earned Gold Glove honors at first with a .988 fielding percentage ... That followed a solid freshman season at FCC in which he was named the team's Co-MVP while earning first team all-league and Gold Glove honors ... Selected to play in the 2008 NorCal Sophomore Showcase ... As a senior in high school he was named first team All-Tri Valley Athletic Conference.

GOULDSMITH ON DeLa Cruz:

"Robbie reminds me of Fernando Valenzuela Jr., whom I recruited when I first arrived at UNLV. A lefty first baseman, Robbie is a good glove man and maintains excellent plate discipline. He comes from a storied program at Fresno City College, under the guidance of successful head coach Ron Scott."